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Government shutdown dodged: Congress finds deal

'There is absolutely no interest on our part in trying to be strident about this,' Boehner said. | AP Photo

The draft bill proposes a $233 million cut from the Environmental Protection Agency — almost perfectly matching a $237 million increase for the Indian Health Service. In the case of the Homeland Security Department, increases are provided for frontline agencies like the Secret Service and Border Patrol, but that translates into a cut of $1 billion, or 30 percent, from grant funds for state and local first responders and their equipment.

Science continues to be a modest winner, with added funds in the Energy Department as well as the National Institutes of Health, which is promised $30.7 billion, an increase of almost $300 millionover current funding. And behind the spending freeze for education are multiple, often difficult choices for Democrats.

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Pell Grants for low-income college students survive, for example, at the maximum award level of $5,500, but also substantial reforms are written into the bill to come up with about $1.36 billion in savings. Obama’s Race to the Top public school reform program is cut to $550 million, a 21 percent reduction from current funding and much less than his request. But new flexibility is allowed for carrying out the initiative so that large metropolitan school districts can now compete on their own — without being subject to their respective governors.

In total, program funding for labor, health and education would fall about $1.4 billion to stay within the caps set in the August budget accords. But the Pentagon still ekes out a $5.1 billion increase, bringing its budget to $518.1 billion for 2012. And both here and in the case of the State Department and foreign aid, the bill makes liberal use of about $126 billion in overseas contingency funds to pad security-related spending — also capped in August.

As much as $11.2 billion from such war-related funds would now fall under the foreign aid program — an increase over what Obama requested. Counterinsurgency aid for Pakistan would be cut to $850 million and new conditions attached, reflecting the increased tensions between Washington and Islamabad. At the same time, access to the contingency funds clearly helped negotiators to protect other priorities, including $5.54 billion to fight AIDS overseas and a total Global Health program of $8.16 billion, up from current spending.

One continued aggravation for the president has been funding for his Wall Street reforms enacted in the last Congress. The CFTC, thrust into the immense fight over regulating the swaps market, has been a favorite target for the GOP, even as Wall Street has greatly increased its campaign contributions to Republicans like Boehner. In the case of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the bill now is kinder, allowing a $136 million increase that would bring the total budget to $1.3 billion. But here, too, Republicans insisted on cutting by half a $50 million reserve fund mandated under the Dodd-Frank Act last year.

A second flash point has been the number of sensitive legislative policy riders still attached to the bill. Many — such as those affecting the Western gray wolf or mountaintop mining regulations — were weeded out in the course of the House-Senate talks. Others — affecting coal dust rules at the Labor Department, EPA’s oversight of drilling permits in the Arctic and a pending Federal Trade Commission report of food marketing to children — survived. And House Republicans expose themselves to criticism here for using these riders as essentially earmarks to help special interests — and win over conservative lawmakers.

Readers' Comments (38)

Well now let's wait and see how this episode of " Let's Make A Deal " turns out shall we ? All we need is for Monty Hall ( is he still alive ? ) to be there to be the host eh ? Let's just hope that when they all choose what's behind door #1 we aren't all given the one finger salute as well. BTW different topic Does anyone else besides me find it strange that we haven't heard anything about Mr Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez of late ? Remember him ? The guy who decided to take a few pot shots at the White House ? Perhaps the Feds have found out that Senior Ortega-Hernandez is a illegal alien ? And that the AK-47 he used was one of the guns from the Fast and Furious DOJ Scandal ? What's up with this issue ?

The White House — held at arm’s length until now — won final concessions including changes to address the funding shortfall at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, so important to President Barack Obama’s Wall Street reforms. And the final bill was also expected to strip out a Republican plan to reinstate Bush-era restrictions on travel to Cuba.

Typical Politico liberal, pro-Obama slant.

Rather than being "held at arm’s length until now,:" Obama used his usual posture of avoiding involvement beyond delivering speeches attacking anyone who does not give him everything he wants and refusing to agree to compromise himself.

Obama is an inexperienced, incompetent, immature community orgainizer without the leadership skills required of a president.

Gee, I'm SO glad that Boehner promised that this kind of crap wouldn't happen any more. You know, regular order, bills through the committees, passage of bills by individual departments, blah, blah, blah.

Gee, I'm SO glad that Boehner promised that this kind of crap wouldn't happen any more. You know, regular order, bills through the committees, passage of bills by individual departments, blah, blah, blah.

Harry Reid has refused to take up many job-creating bills passed by the House.

The Senate has not passed a budget since April 29, 2009 (960 days ago)

Under Boehner, there has been 936 recorded House votes so far this session

Under Reid, there has been 231 recorded Senate votes so far this session.

If you are upset with Boehner and the House, you surely must be LIVID about Reid and the Democrat-controlled Senate!!

This article is such BS. Obama and Reid were playing games by withholding the bill and risking a shutdown to try and gain leverage and their political games failed. That is what this article should say, end of story.

This article is such BS. Obama and Reid were playing games by withholding the bill and risking a shutdown to try and gain leverage and their political games failed. That is what this article should say, end of story.

Really getting tired of both sides playing grab ass with each other about the government finances.

They need to shut the government down for several weeks so that each representative gets an ear full from the people they represent in their states. This knickle and diming about keeping the government going is getting really tiresome.

Really getting tired of both sides playing grab ass with each other about the government finances.

They need to shut the government down for several weeks so that each representative gets an ear full from the people they represent in their states. This knickle and diming about keeping the government going is getting really tiresome.

Recent polls have shown Republicans taking a beating on the issues with twice as many people considering them to be extreme as think the Democrats are. I suspect a lot of Senators and Representatives heard from their constituents that they were not pleased with the stalemate and that no one minded the idea of their all staying in Washington through the whole twelve days of Christmas if that's what it takes to get something done.

I won't believe it's done until it is finally done, but the signs are much better now. However if the House goes home before the Senate can deal with the payroll tax-cut bill—essentially telling the Senate it's our bill or nothing—I expect we will see some more unhappiness from the constituents.

Congress will react when they get a lot of mail and e-mail from angry constituents, but it takes a lot of people telling them they are stupid and lazy before the message gets across. They're not fast learners.

This article is such BS. Obama and Reid were playing games by withholding the bill and risking a shutdown to try and gain leverage and their political games failed. That is what this article should say, end of story.

Agreed. When Obama argued that a vote on his personal idea of a tax cut from Social Security should come before a vote that would prevent shutting down the entire government, and Reid, leader of the Senate, went along with it, things were going very wrong. Thank the Fates that cool heads prevailed on both sides of the aisle to take care of our government budget needs first!

Let's just make sure we don't blame the entire Congress for what a few manipulators do, and that includes out-of-control spending. There is a definite agenda in play here, and anyone who believes it's good for middle class working people are going to learn differently before too long, IMO. We are still $15 trillion in debt, and that hasn't changed. Matter of fact, it's getting worse.

I'm sick of all the clowns and their games. They should be fired. Republicans are worse than the Dems but they're all part of the scam that goes on in D.C. Our government has become a joke......I don't know anybody who likes or respects congress.

The White House — held at arm’s length until now — won concessions including expanded transfer authority to address a funding shortfall at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, so important to President Barack Obama’s Wall Street reforms

The Left is addicted to Big Government for their life-blood. If you close the superfluous parts of govt, the Left actually go through abstinence syndrome--complete with the agitation, dysphoria, sweating, seizures, psychosis, and chants of "racism".

Well now let's wait and see how this episode of " Let's Make A Deal " turns out shall we ? All we need is for Monty Hall ( is he still alive ? ) to be there to be the host eh ?

Dead or Alive? - Monty Hall

Is Monty Hall Still Alive - Ask.com www.ask.com/questions-about/Is-Monty-Hall-Still-Alive Top questions and answers about Is Monty Hall Still Alive. Find 7 questions and answers about Is Monty Hall Still Alive at Ask.com Read more.